Adjustable earpiece for audiphones



ANTITRAGUS May s, 1928. 1,668,910

. W. C. JONES ADJUSTABLE EARP IEGE FOR AUDIPHONES Filed Sept. 26, 1925 CAVUM CONCHAE Wren fox? v War/er; Gdanea Patented May 8, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN C. JONES, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, .ASSIG-NOB T WESTERN ELECTRIC COM- I PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE naarmcn non nunrmionns.

Application filed September 36, 1925: Serial .No. 58,750.

This invention relates to an adjustable ear-piece or mounting for audiphones, which fits in the ear and is designed to support a small telephone receiver.

5 An object of this invention is to provide a mounting for a-small telephone receiver which fits into the ear and makes engagement therewith in such a manner that it is held in place without any exterior supporting member.

A further object is to provide an adjustable ear-piece which is adaptable to ears of different sizes and shapes thus making it a possible to fit a large number of'difierent ears with a relatively few standard earpieces of various sizes.

.The ear-piece is simple and adjustable and consists primarily of a formed mounting and a spring, '-both of which engage within the ear, and means for attaching a small telephone receiver so as to transmit its sound vibrations into the. auditory canal. The ear-piece contains a sound passage or channel and is shaped to substantially fill the lower portion of the outer ear and to fit into the mouth ofithe auditory canal in a manner to tightly connect the sound passage with the auditory canal. The earpiece is rheld in place by the formed mounting fit;

ting in the cavum conchae and behind the tragus, the antitragus and the antihelix, and

v by a spring attached to the top and rear of the formed mounting'which is adapted to fit behind the antihelix and around in the cymba conchae behind the crus of helix and the crura of antihelix.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of the human ear with the ear-piece in place and Showing its 40 outer side;

- Fig. 2 is an inner side view of the earpiece with'the telephone receiver attached; v Fig. 3 is a side view of the ear securing portion of the ear-piece with the receiver at tached, and I 4 Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the earpiece with the' receiver attached.

Similar reference characters desi similar parts in different views. In the names of certain parts of the human ear, most directly associated with the ear-piece, are shown to facilitate descri tion of the we the ear-piece is held in p ace. V e formed mounting of the ear-piece i shown at 10 and is so shaped that it subfirml within the ear.. The spring 11 is ad- -justa is both as to length and shape and engage in the auditory canal so as to form p a substantially sound tight connection. At the outer end of the sound passage 12 and at the outer side of'the mounting member 10 a means 15 is provided for connecting the telephone receiver 20 with the ear-piece. This means may comprise a threaded connection, a snap fastener type of connection or any other suitable type. The receiver 20 may be of the type disclosed and claimed in my prior application Serial No. 714,476, filed May 19, 1924. The nozzle. 13 of the sound. passage is firmly held in the auditory canal by means of the-rear or heel portion 14 of the mounting member engaging the back of the cavum conchae and also by the spring 11 exerting a force downwardly and to a certain extent forwardly. The inner portion of the mounting member 10 is expanded within the cavum conchae so that it engages behind the tragus, the antitragus and the antihelix, while the spring 11 extends from the cavum conchae into the cymba conchae and engages behind the antihelix, the crus of helix, and the crura of antihelix, thus holding the ear-piece firmly within the ear.

, The design of the ear-piece is such that the sound passage 12 is tightly held in 'con nection withthe auditory canal and also therefore it can be bent to best fit different cars. The formed mounting 10 of a given size can be made to fit a number of difierent cars .by suitabl adjustin the spring 11. This design ma es it possible to fit alarge number of ears With a few standard sizes and shapes of ear-pieces. The adjustable flexible wire or cable may be made of any suitable material such as comfort cable 1'05 commercially used in making ear-bows for spectacles.

The invention disclosed herein is obvious- 1y susceptible of various modifications and adaptations without departing from the 11 I sage member adapted to' connect with the.

scope and spirit of thd invention and it is 'not intended to limit the invention ,to'the specific construction herein shown and de-- in such manner as to maintain the said sound passage member in engagement'with the audltory canal.

21 An ear-piece consisting ofa sound pasauditory canal and to mount a telephone receiver and transmit sound therefrom to the auditory canal, and an adjustable flexible member attached to the said sound passage member and adapted to fitwithin the outer ear in such position that the said ear-piece is maintained, in substantially fixed relation within the outer ear. i

3. An ear-niece having a sound channel through it, said ear-piece being adapted to substantially fill the lower portion of the outer ear, and a spring attached thereto and adapted to engage the inner wall of the outer ear and to conform to the inner wall for a considerable part of its length so as to hold the mounting firmly seated in the ear and the sound channel in tight engagement with the auditory canal.

4. An ear-piece adapted to engage within the outer ear for supporting a telephone receiver, consisting of a formed sound passage mounting member shaped to fit the lowen part of the outer ear, and adapted to'support the said telephone receiver and associate it in operative relation with the auditory canal, and an adjustable flexible member extending from said mounting member, both the inner surfaces of the outer ear and in such relation therewith as to hold ear-piece in substantially fixed relation With-the ear.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 23rd day of September A. 1). 1925.

WARREN c. JONES.

of said members being adapted to engage v 

